Lock washer and method of producing the same



A ril 23, 1935. R. BUECHTING LOCK WASHER AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME- 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov; 15, 1954 Aprfl 23, 1935.

R BUECHTING LQCK WASHER AND ME Filed Nov. 15, 1954 MD 20 v;

THOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 23, 1935. R. BUECHTING LOCK WASHER AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed Nov. 15, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 23, 1935 UNITED STATES LOCK WASHER AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME Rudolph Buechting, Glenside, Pa.,

Steel and Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pa., vania assignor to Wire Corporation,

a corporation or Pennsyl- Application November 13, 1934, Serial No. 752,883 I 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved lock washer and method of producing the same, and incidentally to a product for use in production of the same.

The modern lock washer is produced by forcibly feeding a keystone-shaped wire to a mandrel with associated forming rollers by means of which the wire is coiled about the mandrel and successively severing the coils formed about the mandrel at similar points to produce the completed washers.

Such washers have been produced in various forms, some with corrugations upon the nut and work-confronting faces thereof, and others with corrugations upon the concentric faces thereof, these corrugations being produced by the feeding apparatus which is usually in the form of a pair of opposed corrugated rollers engaging two opposed faces of the keystone-shaped wire from is finally produced, the coiling of An important object of this invention is the production of a washer produced by such a method which will be entirely free from any tendency to radial spread. 0

A further object of -the invention is the production of a wire for use in the formation of washers which, by employing the method set forth above, will be free from any tendency to radial spread.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings wherein, for the purpose of illustration, I have shown a preferred embodiment'of my invention and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washer constructed in accordance with my invention? Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the washer;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the washer in position between a nut and a confronting face;

Fig. 4 is a sectional in construction of the washer;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation ofapparatus employed in forming the washer;

view of the wire employed rollers l1 propel the Fig. 6 is a sectional view therethrough; and Fig. 7 is,a detail view showing the feeding rollers and their engagement with the wire from which the washer is formed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the washer comprises a helical segment ill having at least one of its axially-directed faces H provided with a central groove l2, the ribs l3, at opposite sides of said groove, having their faces radially milled, as indicated. The end faces 10 ll of the segment may be either axially directed or at an angle to such axis, and it will be understood that in hereinafter claiming my invention, the term substantially axially directed" is intended to cover both such dispositions of these faces.

It will (be obvious that the provision of the groove. l2 will afford at each of the end faces a pair of circumferentially-directed cutting jaws l5, those at one end of the washer tending to bite 20 into the surface of the nut N and those at the opposite end of the washer tending to bite into the work face F. the Operation of screwing down the nut, the engagement of these faces against the surface of the nut will tend to form 2.5 in the under surface of the nut a pair of grooves G, and since the friction of the washer against the nut will tend to cause rotation thereof and this rotation to cause a compression upon the face F of the work, to form in such face a pair 30 of grooves G'. When the nut is completely screwed down, and as it approaches its seating position, these grooves receiving the ribs l3 will tend to prevent any radial spread of the washer, thus eliminating the attendant destruction of 35 locking quality and breakage of the washers. The milling of the upper surface of the ribs, while not necessary, materially increases the tendency to form the grooves G, G.

This washer is preferably produced by the 40 mechanism illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7, such mechanism being the mechanism illustrated in the patent to G. K. Garrett, No. 1,560,228, granted November 3, 1925, for Method of and apparatus for making lock washers, and the method employed in construction of the washer being identically that of the patent with the exception of the fact that the wire. utilized instead of being strictly keystone shaped comprises the keystoneshape having grooves l6 formed in the convergent sides thereof, as more clearly shown in Figs.

In utilization of the apparatus illustrated, the wire W toward the coiling represented by the mandrel l8, roller devices i9 and guiding faces 20 through which the wire is simultaneously formed as a coil about the mandrel and transformed from the keystone form of Figs. 4 and '7 to the rectangular form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, following which the helical coils thus produced are severed through a suitable cutter 2|. The feeding rollers l! have, preferably, milled faces which, in addition to assisting in the feeding operation, produce upon the surface of ribs 53a of the keystone-shaped wire, the milling finally appearing upon the surface of ribs it.

I claim:

1. A washer comprising a helical segment of approximately 360 degrees, the axially-directed faces of said segment having a central longitudinally-extending groove forming ribs having relatively wide flat axial surfaces, the ends of said segment extending approximately axially to the segment, the axial surfaces of the ribs of at least one of said axially-directed faces being provided with radially-directed 2. The herein-described method of forming lock washers which consists in employing a keystone-shaped bar having longitudinally disposed relatively deep grooves in the opposite nonparallel faces thereof, propelling the latter toward coiling devices and transforming said bar from keystone to rectangular shape by propelling devices roughening the surfaces of the ribs formed by the grooves.

3. A washer comprising a helical segment of approximately 360 degrees the axially-directed faces of said segment, each having at least one longitudinally-extending groove, said grooves providing upon said axial surfaces ribs having relatively wide flat axial surfaces, the ends of said segment extending approximately axially to the segment, the rib surface of at least one of said axially-directed faces being provided with radially-directed milling.

4. The herein described method "of forming lock washers which consists in employing a key- I stone-shaped bar having at least one longitudinally-extending rib upon each of the nonparal- 1el faces thereof and propelling the bar by the outer faces of said ribs toward coiling devices by propelling devices transversely milling the surfaces of said ribs while changing the shape of the bar from keystone to rectangular shape.

RUDOLPH BU'ECHTING. 

